Frame for automobiles.



No. 788,407. PATENTED APR. 25, 1905. E. HUBER.

FRAME FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12 19o2. RENEWED MAR. 20, 1905.

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WITNESSES INVENTOR x 618g x 'f M1 Attorneys.

No. 788,407. PATENTED APR. 25, 1905.

B. HUBER.

FRAME FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12,1902. RENEWED MAR. 20, 1905.

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Patented April 25, 1905.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL HUBER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

FRAME FOR AUTOMOBILES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,407, dated April25, 1905. Application filed November 12, 1902. Renewed March 20, 1905.Serial No. 251,005.

ports for the engine and driving machinery of automobiles; and itconsists in the arrangement and combinations hereinafter described, andspecified in the claims.

Heretofore in large automobiles, especially those used fordelivery-wagons and others of that class and in which the frames restupon platform-springs, it is found impossible to prevent the frames fromspringing when subjected to torsional strains due to inequalities in theroad. These strains are transferred to the driving machinery, if suchmachinery be rigidly connected therewith, with the result that thedriving machinery is repeatedly thrown out of line at various timesuntil breakages occur and also with the effect of requiring a muchlarger expenditure of power to reach'the same driving result.

The object of my invention is to entirely avoid torsional or twistingstrains on the frames which support the machinery and to prevent thetorsional strains on the main frame from being transferred to andaffecting such subframe supporting the machinery.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my invention. Fig. 2 is avertical elevation thereof with one side of the main frame removed online X X of Fig. 1 for the purpose of showing details of thearrangement. Fig. 3 illustrates the special form of universal couplingwhich I use. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view at the extreme corner ofthe subframe, showing the mode of attachment of one of the braces.

Similar letters refer to similar parts.

In the drawings, A represents the side bars A A of the main frame, ofwhich only the front section in the drawing is shown, it be ing brokenaway at the top of the drawing somewhat in advance of the connectionswith the main axle of the driving-wheels. B is a cross-bar uniting thesaid frames A in front of the driving-wheels. B is another crossbaruniting said frames A, and O is the front cross-bar of the frame. Thepoint of attachment of the front springs to the frame is located atabout X X on the main frame; but for the purpose of clearness neithersprings nor front axle are shown. The main frame A A, together with thetie-pieces B B C, are made of rolled angle-steel in the usual form, andthe parts specified are firmly united together. Firmly attached to thecross-bar C is a pivoted pin D.

The engine shown for the purposes of illustration is a four-cylinderfour-cycle explosive-engine, the cylinders of which are marked E E.About the engine there is nothing new in itself, the cylinders beingupright and single-acting and having all of the usual attachments ofsparking plugs, battery connections, gasolene connections, &c., none ofwhich are shown. Below the cylinders is a crank-shaft (not indicated)located within a crank-pit or crank-casing F, which casing is common toall of the cranks, and the cylinders E E preferably make an inclosedchamber, which may be used as an oil-pit. Centrally through the caseruns the shaft, the outer portion of which appears at G. This shaftcarries a fly-wheel H and has the usual friction-clutch J, with meansfor controlling it, and also located on the line of the shaft is thevariable transmission-gearing K; but as the transmission-gearing andtheir details are no portion of myinvention I have merely indicatedtheir location and have not attempted to explain any of the details,such details being familiar to those skilled in the art. The end of theshaft G terminates in a bevel-pinion L, and this engages a bevelwheel M.This in turn is mounted upon the usual differential gear N, and to eachside thereof, journaled in appropriate journals 0 O, are shafts P I,which terminate in universal couplings of the usual type, except aslight modification shown in Fig. 3, and these in turn are connected tocontinuations of the shaft Q Q,

journaled in appropriate journals R R, firmly attached to the main frameand upon the extremities of which are carried the usual sprocket-wheelsfor driving independently the rear driving-wheels, such driving-wheelsbeing loosely mounted upon the rear axle in the usual form.

The subframe is constructed with two substantially parallel longitudinalangle-beams S S, which extend from one extremity to the other of all thedriving machinery shown and described. The beams S S are united at thefront end by a cross-bar S, to which is firmly attached a thimble orstep bearing S (Shown in horizontal section in Fig. 1 and in elevationin Fig. 2.) This engages the bearing D in the main frame in such manneras to permit of a rotary swiveled action in a perpendicular plane of thesubframes S S upon the bearing at the front end. The rear ends of theside bars S S are united by cross-bar T, also, preferably, made ofangle-iron, the ends of the bar T respectively resting upon the flangesof the angle-iron or angle-bars of the main frame A in the manner shownin Fig. 4 without being attached in any manner to the bars A, and itwill be noted that they fall short a short distance from coming incontact with the bar B, which rigidly unites the main frames A A. As thebar T at either end rests upon the flange of the side bars A A of themain frame, they are adapted to freely slide forward and backward acertain distance, the only resistance to such sliding being the frictionand a buffer-spring.

Bolted to each end of the bar T is a stiff tubular bar U. These barsextend diagonally forward, as shown in Fig. 1, and downward, as shown inFig. 2, are substantially triangularly arranged,and are firmly attachedat the apex of the triangle underneath and beyond the balance-wheel H toa casting V, which is also firmly attached to or may be cast as a partof the crank-case F. These braces U U resist torsional strains. The twomain side bars S S of the subframe are also firmly bolted to the castingcomprising the cylinders by through-bolts WV W. They are also firmlyunited by stirrup-bearings Y Y, within which is journaled at Z Z themain shaft. Thus the subframe carries all of the machinery, with theexception of the rear sprocket-chains and the extremities of thedriving-shaft Q, the driving-shaft being so connected by theclutchcouplings P P, a detail of which is shown in Fig. 3, that acertain amount of vertical play can be given to either one, and this isaccomplished by cutting away the blocks at p p, which fit between theblocks 12 p of the clutch. This prevents any springing of the shaft P byreason of any springing of the frames. It is also obvious that theframes S S, united as they are, form a strictly rigid frame, which isadapted to resist torsional strains and upon which no torsional strainsare brought by the main frame and which is also adapted to yield to endwise strains by not being firmly attached to the subbars A A of the mainframe. Any torsional strain upon the main frame A A causing it to twiston the line of the shafts Q Q would be transferred by the cross-bars T Tto the subframe S S, which would turn freely upon the bearingat I),whereas if it was rigidly attached at D the tendency would be to twistthe frame and throw the shaft out of line.

AtW', I have shown an elastic buffer between the cross-bar T and across-tie of the main frame. This buffer keeps the bearing D inengagement and allows a slight endwise movement of the subframe,preventing destructive shocks.

By not uniting the cross-bar T to the side frames A A any diagonalstrains brought to bear upon the main frame A A are not transferred tothe subframe S S, because either end of the cross-bar T is formed toslide, and such diagonal strains are resisted by the braces U U.

It is obvious that the subframe made by the side bars S S may be solocated longitudinally with reference to the cylinders E E, crankcase,crank-shaft F, and fly-wheel H as to be substantially in the plane ofthe center of gravity of that portion of the structure, and thereby thatsudden side movements of the front end of the vehicle would not tend totwist the subframe, as it would tend to do if the center of gravity wasmarkedly above or below the plane of the frame and its pivoted point atD. Such sudden motions would be liable if the center of gravity was muchabove or below the line or plane of the pivoted point at D to twist thesubframe by the resistances to said motions due to the inertia of theheavier top or bottom of the machinery attached thereto. This tendencyto twist would be resisted to some extent by the bearing of thecross-bar T upon the main frame.

In the foregoing description I have only described so much of the deviceas is necessary to correctly understand the principles of my invention,which in this application are limited to the general structure of thesubframe, its connections and bearing, and the necessary modifications.

What I claim is 1. In a vehicle, the combination of a main frame, asubframe rotatably pivoted at its front end to the main frame andsupported at its rear end by bearings resting upon but detached from themain frame, said subframe carrying the machinery of the drivingmechanism, and whereby the twisting strains brought to bear upon themain frame are entirely relieved from the subframe and the machinerycarried by it, substantially as described.

2. In a vehicle, the combination of a main frame, a subframe rotatablypivoted at its front end to the main frame and supported at its rear endby bearings resting upon but detached from the main frame, said subframecarrying the machinery of the driving mechanism, and a cross-shaftcontaining universal couplings whereby the twisting strains of the mainframe are not transmitted to the crossshaft, substantially as described.

3. In combination with the main frame of a vehicle, a subframe adaptedto and carrying the driving mechanism, which subframe is supported uponthree points forming a triangle, namely, a front support adapted toswivel in a perpendicular plane, and two rear bearing-points upon themain frame, substantially as described.

4. In a vehicle, a sub-frame supported on three points, one of which isrotatable in aperpendicular plane, and the other two supported by themain frame, and diagonal braces running from the supporting-points atthe base of the triangle and to a common point in conjunction with thesubframe, substantially as described.

. 5. In a vehicle, a subframe adapted to carry machinery, drivingmechanism rigidly attached thereto, said subframe being supported onthree points forming a triangle, the apex being a swiveled joint in aperpendicular plane, and the other two points at the base of thetriangle being supported by the main frame, said subframe beingsubstantially in the plane of the center of gravity of said drivingmechanism, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

EMIL HUBER. Witnesses: v

R. A. PARKER, NETTIE V. BELLES.

